Japan
| Kenora Rotary Exchange Students from Japan | ||
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Located in Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Total: 377,835 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima,
Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
water: 3,091 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km 29,751 km coastline
Popuilation: 127,214,499 (July 2003 est.)
9.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 8.55 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 80.93 years
male: 77.63 years
female: 84.41 years (2003 est.)
Religion: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Government | Japan |
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government |
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Capital:
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Tokyo |
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Administrative divisions:
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47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi |
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Independence:
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660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu) |
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National holiday:
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Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933) |
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Constitution:
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3 May 1947 |
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Legal system:
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modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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20 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state:
Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) note: following the resignation of Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI, Junichiro KOIZUMI was elected as the new president of the majority Liberal Democratic Party and soon thereafter designated by the Diet to become the next prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority; therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April 2001) |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Diet or Kokkai
consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (247 seats - members
elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 149 members in
multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation); House of
Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year
terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional
representation in 11 regional blocs) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDP 110, DPJ 59, Komeito 23, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8, Conservative Party 5, independents 14; note - the distribution of seats as of July 2001 was: LDP 115, DPJ 60, Komeito 24, JCP 20, SDP 8, Liberal Party 8, independents 6, others 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LDP 233, DPJ 127, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22, JCP 20, SDP 19, other 28; note - the distribution of seats as of June 2000 was: LDP 242, DPJ 126, Komeito 31, Liberal Party 22, JCP 20, SDP 19, NCP 7, other 13 elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held NA July 2004); House of Representatives - last held 25 June 2000 (next must be held by June 2004 but may occur sooner) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Yukio HATOYAMA, leader; Naoto KAN, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Tetsuzo FUWA, chairman; Tadayeshi ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president; Taku YAMASAKI, secretary general]; Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA, president; Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; New Conservative Party or NCP [Hiroshi KUMAGI, president; Toshihiro NIKAI, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Takako DOI, chairperson; Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, secretary general] |
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA, AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISET, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission:
Ambassador Ryozo KATO FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Hagatna (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission:
Ambassador Howard H. BAKER, Jr. embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 205, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya |
| Economy | Japan |
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Economy - overview:
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Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second-most-technologically-powerful economy in the world after the US and third-largest economy in the world after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Government efforts to revive economic growth have met with little success and were further hampered in 2000-2002 by the slowing of the US and Asian economies. Japan's huge government debt, which is approaching 150% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots." Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the ailing banking system continue. |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 4.8% highest 10%: 21.7% (1993) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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24.9 (1993) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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-0.9% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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67.7 million (December 2001) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 70%, industry 25%, agriculture 5% (2002 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.4% (2002) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $441 billion
expenditures: $718 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about NA (FY01 est.) |
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Industries:
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among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-1.4% (2002 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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1.037 trillion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 60% hydro: 8.4% other: 1.8% (2001) nuclear: 29.8% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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964.2 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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17,330 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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5.29 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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93,360 bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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5.449 million bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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29.29 million bbl (January 2002 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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20.02 billion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish |
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Exports:
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$383.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals |
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Exports - partners:
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US 28.5%, China 9.6%, South Korea 6.9%, Taiwan 6.3%, Hong Kong 6.1% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$292.1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001) |
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Imports - partners:
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US 18.3%, China 17.1%, South Korea 4.6%, Indonesia 4.2%, Australia 4.2%, Taiwan 4.0% (2002 est.) |
| Communications | Japan |
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Internet country code:
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.jp |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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73 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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56 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Japan |
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Railways:
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total: 23,168 km
(15,995 km electrified) standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 19,855 km 1.067-m gauge (12,683 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (31 km electrified) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total: 1,152,207 km
paved: 863,003 km (including 6,114 km of expressways) unpaved: 289,204 km (1997 est.) |
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Waterways:
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1,770 km approximately note: seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 594 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) 10,467,142 GRT/13,335,833 DWT ships by type: bulk 120, cargo 45, chemical tanker 18, combination bulk 28, combination ore/oil 1, container 18, liquefied gas 52, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 179, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 59, short-sea passenger 6, vehicle carrier 49 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, Panama 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.) |
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Airports:
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172 (2002) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 141 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 32 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 31 over 3047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 26 (2002) 914 to 1,523 m: 3 |
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Heliports:
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15 (2002) |
| Military | Japan |
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Military branches:
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Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force), Coast Guard |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 29,392,559 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 25,405,779 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males: 725,281 (2003 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$39.52 billion (FY02) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1% (FY02) |
| Transnational Issues | Japan |
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Disputes - international:
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islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) claimed by China and Taiwan |
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This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003
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RESOURCES
http://www.easyfunschool.com/article2156.html A Study Unit on Japan
http://www.city.nagano.nagano.jp/english/sightsee/index-e.html Sight seeing
Books: KONOS Character Curriculum--Volume 1
by Carole Thaxton and Jessica Hulcey.
JAPANESE THINGS by Basil Hall
Chamberlain Pub.by Charles E.Tuttle Co.
1971 (reprint 1994)
Websites: There are multiple links in most of the following sites. It would be impossible for me to check out all of them. So, with the exception of the Kids Web site, I would recommend parental supervision.
1. Kids Web Japan--Excellent site--especially if you want to give your children experience in surfing and Internet research.
http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/
2. Japanese Information
http://www.ntt.co.jp/japan/
3. Chronology of Japan's History
http://www.easc.indiana.edu/pages/easc/curriculum/japan/1996/general/history.htp
4. Japan Interface
http://www.php.co.jp/english.html
5. The Art of Haiku Poetry
http://www.lsi.usp.br/usp/rod/poet/haiku.html